Blog task: Score advert and wider reading.
Media Factsheet 188- Score hair cream
1) Advertising relied less on market research and leaned more towards creative instinct in planning their campaigns. "ads attempted to win over consumers with humour, candour and, above all, irony.", "relying more on photography than illustration"
2) In the UK, advertising in the post-war period was characterised by campaigns that very effectively reinforced that idea that a woman’s place was in the home.
3) The mise en scene within this advert signifies that the advert is targeting men. They have used an unrealistic setting, which is jungle themed. This implies that the advert is meant to be a fantasy, almost escapism. The first aspect is the costumes they are wearing. The setting they have used in this advert is jungle themed, therefore they have dressed the actors according to this. We can see how the man is wearing safari clothes, which are khaki coloured, however the women are wearing high tops and skirts; they are semi-naked, the audience is exposed to their cleavage. This already objectifies the women. Also, they have used high-key lighting for exposing the setting. Additionally, they have used the actors in significant way. The fact that they have only used one man and several women denotes male dominance and patriarchy. The actors are positioned in a particular way- the man is being carried by the women, so is higher than them and the women are looking at him is a admiring way, which subordinates them. This ultimately shows male power over women and degrades women. In addition the actors look like they rule the jungle. This is significant because at that time because it is referring to colonist values which is linked to the ending of the empire. Also, the male looks predatory, which once again objectifies the women because it suggests to the audience that he can have a sexual relationship with each of them. Furthermore, they have used make-up to suggest to the audience that the hair cream can give you anything you want, you will be successful in your sexual life with women. However, the make-up could also suggest that the African male need to use this to be successful like the white male people. In terms of props they have used a lot. First of all, the use of the plants are there to make up the jungle setting. The use of the gun is very significant because it can have several meanings. One interpretation could be that he is the predator, so the gun means power. Another interpretation could imply the object as sexual, a phallic symbol. This parallels with how the women are semi-naked, so it amplifies how using this hair cream allows the man to have sex with all the women and gives the men voyeuristic pleasure. This links to the idea of hyper-masculinity, the male fantasy of desirability and success.
4) "The Score advert identifies the man as Propp’s ‘hero’ in this narrative. The image infers that he is ‘exulted’ as the hunter-protector of his ‘tribe’. The adoration – and availability – of the females are his reward for such masculine endeavours."
5) The 1967 male audience might read the narrative as ironic and humorous but it is unlikely that they would challenge the underlying ideology implicit within the advert. Females, though not the target audience, might read the gender representations in an oppositional way but at the same time accept its representation of a patriarchal society as normal or inevitable. However, in present day (2019) modern audiences, including students of the media, are likely to respond in a different way, aware that its sexist narrative (implying patriarchy and marginalised women.) is outdated and, for some, offensive. However, there are still some advertisers who still use a similar technique to sell deodorant to teenage boys, it could be argued that younger male audiences would not view this narrative as problematic.
6) The slogan 'Get what you've always wanted' uses direct mode of address. This suggests that it is targeting the male audience and lure them into buying the product. This slogan also denotes the idea of hyper masculinity, the male fantasy of desirability and success and anchors the meaning. This links to historical context because it portrays patriarchy and how the purpose of a women was to look good and only to have sex with.- Links with Janice Winship- "women use commodities to serve men". It is significant that the advert text says it is 'made by men' because it shows how only a man would know what a man wants and gives the male target audience reassurance of what they buy because it's masculine. It also puts pressure on men to be more masculine and to be like other men. It is also significant because it contains 'Score's famous masculine scent' because it suggests that this is the only hair cream which you can get anything with and always be masculine because you can have a successful sexual life.
7)
10) The advert is meant to be a fantasy, almost escapism. They have used an unrealistic setting, which is jungle themed. In addition the actors look like they rule the jungle. This is significant because at that time because it is referring to colonist values which is linked to the ending of the empire. "The reference to colonialist values can also be linked to social and cultural contexts of the ending of the British Empire. Paul Gilroy argues that despite the passing of empire, the white western world still exerts its dominance through cultural products" and " The jungle setting, the gun, the throne all infer that the white western male has been successful in fighting off primitives or dangerous animals to save his own tribe. "
Wider Reading
The Drum: This Boy Can article
1) The writer suggests that we may face a "growing boy crisis" because we are empowering the wrong sex. The writer suggests that we are less equipped with issues which affect boys and that there is a unconscious bias that males should simply 'man up' and deal with any crisis of confidence themselves.
2) The Axe/Lynx has changed its marketing to present a different representation of masculinity as they present a more diverse definition of what it means to be a 'successful' man and to relive their pressure. This led to the step-change 'Find Your Magic' campaign from the former bad boy brand.
3) The campaigner David Brockway suggests advertisers 'totally reinvent gender constructs'. This implies that he dare to paint a world where boys like pink, don't like going out and getting dirty, or aren't career ambitious.
4) Changes in family and society altered how brands are targeting their products because they use stereotypical element. "As Miller says, the definition of “family” in places like Britain is profoundly changing – but advertising is not helping to normalise different scenarios by largely failing to portray this new normal."
5) Fernando Desouches, Axe/Lynx global brand development director says you have got to "set the platform" before you explode the myth of masculinity?, because there are changing meanings of what it means to be a man and what it means to be successful. He is trying to make men more comfortable in their own skin and empower them as they are more emotional than women.
Campaign: Why brands need to change
1) The two ways advertising traditionally presented masculinity are:
Stage 3 on The Five Stages of Masculinity. 'Remember, the stages are only indicative, and people can be on different stages for different aspects of masculinity that are not captured by this tool.'
1) Advertising relied less on market research and leaned more towards creative instinct in planning their campaigns. "ads attempted to win over consumers with humour, candour and, above all, irony.", "relying more on photography than illustration"
2) In the UK, advertising in the post-war period was characterised by campaigns that very effectively reinforced that idea that a woman’s place was in the home.
3) The mise en scene within this advert signifies that the advert is targeting men. They have used an unrealistic setting, which is jungle themed. This implies that the advert is meant to be a fantasy, almost escapism. The first aspect is the costumes they are wearing. The setting they have used in this advert is jungle themed, therefore they have dressed the actors according to this. We can see how the man is wearing safari clothes, which are khaki coloured, however the women are wearing high tops and skirts; they are semi-naked, the audience is exposed to their cleavage. This already objectifies the women. Also, they have used high-key lighting for exposing the setting. Additionally, they have used the actors in significant way. The fact that they have only used one man and several women denotes male dominance and patriarchy. The actors are positioned in a particular way- the man is being carried by the women, so is higher than them and the women are looking at him is a admiring way, which subordinates them. This ultimately shows male power over women and degrades women. In addition the actors look like they rule the jungle. This is significant because at that time because it is referring to colonist values which is linked to the ending of the empire. Also, the male looks predatory, which once again objectifies the women because it suggests to the audience that he can have a sexual relationship with each of them. Furthermore, they have used make-up to suggest to the audience that the hair cream can give you anything you want, you will be successful in your sexual life with women. However, the make-up could also suggest that the African male need to use this to be successful like the white male people. In terms of props they have used a lot. First of all, the use of the plants are there to make up the jungle setting. The use of the gun is very significant because it can have several meanings. One interpretation could be that he is the predator, so the gun means power. Another interpretation could imply the object as sexual, a phallic symbol. This parallels with how the women are semi-naked, so it amplifies how using this hair cream allows the man to have sex with all the women and gives the men voyeuristic pleasure. This links to the idea of hyper-masculinity, the male fantasy of desirability and success.
4) "The Score advert identifies the man as Propp’s ‘hero’ in this narrative. The image infers that he is ‘exulted’ as the hunter-protector of his ‘tribe’. The adoration – and availability – of the females are his reward for such masculine endeavours."
5) The 1967 male audience might read the narrative as ironic and humorous but it is unlikely that they would challenge the underlying ideology implicit within the advert. Females, though not the target audience, might read the gender representations in an oppositional way but at the same time accept its representation of a patriarchal society as normal or inevitable. However, in present day (2019) modern audiences, including students of the media, are likely to respond in a different way, aware that its sexist narrative (implying patriarchy and marginalised women.) is outdated and, for some, offensive. However, there are still some advertisers who still use a similar technique to sell deodorant to teenage boys, it could be argued that younger male audiences would not view this narrative as problematic.
6) The slogan 'Get what you've always wanted' uses direct mode of address. This suggests that it is targeting the male audience and lure them into buying the product. This slogan also denotes the idea of hyper masculinity, the male fantasy of desirability and success and anchors the meaning. This links to historical context because it portrays patriarchy and how the purpose of a women was to look good and only to have sex with.- Links with Janice Winship- "women use commodities to serve men". It is significant that the advert text says it is 'made by men' because it shows how only a man would know what a man wants and gives the male target audience reassurance of what they buy because it's masculine. It also puts pressure on men to be more masculine and to be like other men. It is also significant because it contains 'Score's famous masculine scent' because it suggests that this is the only hair cream which you can get anything with and always be masculine because you can have a successful sexual life.
7)
- The feminist writer Liesbet van Zoonen argues that ‘gender’ is constructed through discourse and that its meaning varies according to the cultural and historical context. The Score advert constructs a representation of women that is typical of the late 1960s - and accepted as ‘normal’. Women in this time period were dominantly represented as either domestic servants or sex objects – and in Score they might be considered both servant and sex object. Much like Laura Mulvey, van Zoonen argues that in mainstream media texts the visual and narrative codes are used to objectify the female body.
- Bell hooks uses term ‘white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy’ to describe all the oppressive factors in our society. This might aptly describe the image presented in the Score advert.
- Judith Butler asserts that gender is not biologically determined but rather socially determined; learned through society. She believes that gender is a performance. Both the male and the female in the Score advert are performing the roles of the (masculine) man and the (feminine) woman in accordance with their biological sex. The advert also serves to reinforce the binary opposite gender roles ascribed by society.
- To what extent has the producer created a representation of gender that is deliberate in its depiction of a dominant male (intentional approach)? The fact that they have only used one man and several women denotes male dominance and patriarchy. The actors are positioned in a particular way- the man is being carried by the women, so is higher than them and the women are looking at him in an admiring way, which subordinates them. This ultimately shows male power over women and degrades women.
- To what extent do the representations simply reflect the gender inequality of 1967 (reflective approach)? Binary oppositions, and power dynamics in the advert. There is only one male who is in a higher position than the four females. It implies superiority and dominance over them.
- To what extent is a construction it approach the most appropriate: one where the producer (the maker of sign systems) and the audience (who read them) both play a part in how that representation achieves meaning? Societies view on patriarchy. Presenting typical gender roles.
- How producers encode texts and how audiences decode texts can differ. Are the representations meant to be taken at face value, or read as ironic? It depends on the person reading it and the generation.
David Gauntlett-
- He states that both media producers and audiences play a role in constructing identities.
- " The role of the producer in shaping ideas about masculinity is clear in the Score advert, which is undoubtedly similar to countless other media texts of that era."
- Gauntlett says that due to living in a media saturated place that shows masculinity as patriarchy the average man in that era would "shape their own identities and their sense of what it means to be a man in the mid-twentieth century." The score hair cream advert portrays this idea as it indicates that men should be strong, the breadwinner, have all the attention and have all women fall at their feet.
- "Similarly, women would have a clear sense about their place in the world, despite many of the social changes that were leading to greater equality both socially and sexually"
10) The advert is meant to be a fantasy, almost escapism. They have used an unrealistic setting, which is jungle themed. In addition the actors look like they rule the jungle. This is significant because at that time because it is referring to colonist values which is linked to the ending of the empire. "The reference to colonialist values can also be linked to social and cultural contexts of the ending of the British Empire. Paul Gilroy argues that despite the passing of empire, the white western world still exerts its dominance through cultural products" and " The jungle setting, the gun, the throne all infer that the white western male has been successful in fighting off primitives or dangerous animals to save his own tribe. "
Wider Reading
The Drum: This Boy Can article
1) The writer suggests that we may face a "growing boy crisis" because we are empowering the wrong sex. The writer suggests that we are less equipped with issues which affect boys and that there is a unconscious bias that males should simply 'man up' and deal with any crisis of confidence themselves.
2) The Axe/Lynx has changed its marketing to present a different representation of masculinity as they present a more diverse definition of what it means to be a 'successful' man and to relive their pressure. This led to the step-change 'Find Your Magic' campaign from the former bad boy brand.
3) The campaigner David Brockway suggests advertisers 'totally reinvent gender constructs'. This implies that he dare to paint a world where boys like pink, don't like going out and getting dirty, or aren't career ambitious.
4) Changes in family and society altered how brands are targeting their products because they use stereotypical element. "As Miller says, the definition of “family” in places like Britain is profoundly changing – but advertising is not helping to normalise different scenarios by largely failing to portray this new normal."
5) Fernando Desouches, Axe/Lynx global brand development director says you have got to "set the platform" before you explode the myth of masculinity?, because there are changing meanings of what it means to be a man and what it means to be successful. He is trying to make men more comfortable in their own skin and empower them as they are more emotional than women.
Campaign: Why brands need to change
1) The two ways advertising traditionally presented masculinity are:
- Either a glamourous James Bond-style masculinity that attracted 'the ladies'
- Buffoon-style masculinity that was firmly under the wifely thumb
- . The altruistic reason is that traditional masculinity causes problems, whether it be its impact on men’s wellbeing or on women and their equal representation in society. All brands need to do their part in making the world a better place, so looking at masculinity can really be seen as part of corporate social responsibility efforts.
- The self-serving reason is that masculinity is constantly shifting and brands need an equally agile response in order to engage with consumers and remain relevant and competitive. By repeating tired clichés or offering alternatives of only limited imagination, brands are in danger of failing on both these fronts
- Stage 1: “unconscious masculinity” – traditional view of men
- Stage 2: “conscious masculinity” – as above but deliberate
- Stage 3: “critical masculinities” – feminist; socially constructed
- Stage 4: “multiple masculinities” – anyone can be anything
- Stage 5: “beyond masculinities” – it doesn’t exist
Stage 3 on The Five Stages of Masculinity. 'Remember, the stages are only indicative, and people can be on different stages for different aspects of masculinity that are not captured by this tool.'
I somewhat agree with this result because I am a feminist to an extent. However, some questions were not a good measure and some people would have a different opinion which the questions weren't asking.
5)The stage of masculinity that the Score advert was aiming at in 1967 was stage 1. This is because it portrayed male dominance and power. It made women look subordinate and inferior, so just subjective and submissive in comparison to the male character.
6) The stages of masculinity are important for companies and advertisers when targeting an audience because they will know what type of product appeals to what type of man. It also helps the advertisers keep up with the changing views of men and how masculine they should keep the product.
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